Tag: music

music

The Moonwalk Is Dead. Long Live the Moonwalk.

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To honor Michael Jackson’s passing, I’ve decided to post about The Moonwalk, capitalized on purpose.
The Moonwalk is one dance move I will never be able to do. I remember trying and failing repeated as young lad but I was able to kick my leg up around my waist, say “he-he” in a high pitched voice, grab my crotch and then point diagonally skyward. Who grew up in the 80’s and didn’t do that?
Michael Jackson was a lot of things – artist, performer, dancer, choreographer, side show and freak show – but his smooth, ever-so-cool, gravity-defying move has proven to be one of the most iconic dance moves in history. Hell, the dance move even inspired a movie, called “Moonwalker,” which gave us a giant robot version of MJ slaying bad guys with some seriously killer moves.
Below is, according the MSN Music, the first instance captured on video of Michael Jackson’s “Moonwalk.” It can be seen around 3:41, which is when everyone goes ballistic:

Some assorted random Michael Jackson memories of mine are:

  • Thinking he was saying “fuckee” instead of “funky” in the song “Beat It” and being uncomfortable listening to it around my grandparents.
  • Being totally scared to the point where I had nightmares by the “Thriller” video. There was one part in the haunted house that I used to close my eyes for and my friend Justin, who had cable therefore MTV therefore the video, would always be nice enough to tell me when I could open them again.
  • Wondering how the hell he got that bad motherfucker Slash to wail away on his “Black or White” track

If you are feeling nostalgic for some of Jackson’s great music, moves and mini-movies (aka his videos), check out the Michael Jackson YouTube Channel which has 36 (double chai?) videos.
I actually just watched “Black and White” and was blown away with the first minute of Macaulay Culkin and George Wendt and then the rest of the video – the dancing through the various sets to the face merge at the end. Man I forgot how he was so damn talented. Sick.
This video actually made me sad for the first time. Its really unfortunate that the recent trials, bankruptcies and general weirdness distracted me from his musical brilliance because as I’m hopscotching around his career and catalog, I’m just amazed at how good he really was.
We in America destroy our icons in life and venerate them in death and that is definitely playing out true to form. Jackson from 1975 – 1995 I will miss dearly. Jackson from 1996 – 2009 I won’t miss at all. Unfortunately thus far there is way too much coverage on the 1996 – 2009 years and I’m hoping that changes.
Through the years I’ve posted when a number of different people have passed away. Now Michael Jackson is the latest but definitely not the last. So, here’s to you Michael: your music and artistry has made my life richer and for that I am thankful.

movies

Back on the Train

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A few months ago, after singing about the movie insessently over the years (there is a lyric about it in the Beastie Boys song “Sureshot”) without having even seen it, I finally got to watch “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” and I really, really enjoyed the movie.
I just love NYC movies and gritty 70’s ones are especially fun. There haven’t been very many good remakes of 70’s movies though so I was on the fence about the new remake. But, after hearing some positive reviews, I decided to check out the NYT Pelham review and could not stop laughing about its closing thought:

“It has intense violence and frequent repetition of every true New Yorker’s favorite word.”

Hmmm, I wonder what that could ever be…
Even more fun was that I could easily watch the original on my PC using NetFlix’s online VOD service. Sure, movies on a 17″ LCD screen aren’t as good as 42″ LCD screen but there is something to be said about the word “instant.” I am really looking forward to when everything is instant – we are probably 5 years away from that.
Last, since I am just obsessed with Phish lately, here is Phish playing the title of this post “Back on the Train” from Hampton back in March

music

Deeper Than Rap

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I have been addicted to Rick Ross’s “Lay Back” for over a week now – I just cannot stop listening to it – and I’ve posted it for you here to listen to yourself – you tell me I’m out there or if its a bangin’ track::

Best line by far: “Number 1 at whatever, I get buddles of cheddar, ditch that black cloud, you deserve wonderful weather.”
The walking dichotomy of Rick Ross, a pseudo-gangster, maybe real gangster, and his feud with Fiddy has sent him to the top of the charts and made him stand out from the rest of the rap landscape. I usually only skim the surface of what is going on in the rap world, paying attention to the most famous / popular (unless you happen to be affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan) and Rick Ross has done that here by elevating himself to a level that even I am paying attention. Not bad for a media savvy former corrections officer. Too bad for his persona though that Freeway Ricky Ross, his inspiration, has denounced him for his law ties.
One of my favorite aspects of his site is that his album drop countdown clock is totally off by one month on his MySpace page– the album has been released yet it says that is coming out over two weeks from now:
rickross.jpg
Last but not least, of course I learned about Rick Ross from the most hip of places – no, not Vibe or The Source but the Grey Lady. Yup, that is right – the N Y f’ing T baby. Believe it or not, they provide some good rap info in the Sunday Arts and Leisure section. Keep in mind that the NYT is the same place that a few years ago I learned about Ghostface Killah dropping a new album.

television

Oh My Singlet!

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If you are the type of person who thinks that John Fogerty is singing “There’s a bathroom on right” instead of “There’s a bad moon on the rise” then you might think that Beyonce is singing “Oh my Singlet” instead of “All my Single Ladies” in her new hit song “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”
The video for this song features Beyonce and two others dancing in leotards Bob Fosse style. It also has been mocked, first on SNL and then by legions of others, and I find the spoofs hysterical (the original that it being mocked is pretty good too). I’ve been on the lookout for SNL clip for about two weeks now – its not on Hulu and its not on YouTube but it is on Andy Samberg’s site (duh).
Enjoy the clip below and then just try to get this song out of your head. Its been stuck in my head for two weeks now.

If you are a fan of Samberg and his digital shorts, you might alsol love the most recent golden short “Jizz in my Pants”.
Happy Friday.
Via Sara

music

"Chinese Democracy" Review

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Usually I try to write a witty original title for a post, something that sort of implies what the post is about but at the same time adds a touch of ironic detachment. There is no way I could do that here. My title needed to be as simple as Axl’s album is complex. After 17 years a new GnR album has been released. I have it. I’ve listened to it a few times. It does not suck. In many places it flat out rocks. I’m surprised but I’m not.
Chuck Klosterman, author of Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs (one of the funniest books I’ve ever read – I literally laughed out loud on the 6 train reading it which caused a good number of passengers to stare at me), wrote a review in the Onion AV Club section which does a great job of summing up the album. He sets the tone when he says right off the bat that,

“Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It’s more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom?”

I too am incredibly confused and conflicted about listening to and reviewing the album. What am I supposed to do? Should I compare it to solely the GnR back catalog when the band was the band? Should I try to forget my years of longing for this mystery album, of joking about how Axl was driving the GnR legacy off a steep Hollywood Hills cliff, of thinking of Axl locked away in a studio endlessly turning multicolored knobs to get things exactly perfect and most of all of wondering if he will ever just stop and release the album?
In full disclosure, I must inform you that I love GnR. One of my great musical disappointments is not having seen the old pre-Axl buying the name and going his own way Guns n Roses live. I was a meek junior high school student when the “Use Your Illusion” albums were out and an even meeker and younger child when “Appetite” and “Lies” debuted so its not like I really had an option to go to a show but I still, I lived in that era and am super bummed I missed out, especially the Guns n Roses / Metallica tour in 1992.
Sure, this new album technically only has one original GnR member on it in Axl while the Slash’s Snakepit album from 1994 had four original GnR members in it but “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” sounds more like Tesla than GnR while “Chinese Democracy” sounds a lot like it should have been titled “Use Your Illusion 3.”
I actually started to write this post right when I got the album but I’m glad I waited to let the music seep in. Now more than ever I think the “Illusion” reference is particularly on target. An “Appetite” homage this is not – I mean, Axl even reuses the “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate” quote from “Cool Hand Luke” which was used at the beginning of “Civil War” (a “UYI 2” song). Axl’s voice is a still a strong live wire – I hear his screech and half the time my mind’s eye immediately sees Ahnold leather jacket clad on motorcycle in “Terminator 2” – I just can’t help.
The album features some fast kick ass hard rocking songs. There also some slow November Rain / Estranged like piano driven ballads which give it the “UYI” feel. I’m not in love with the album per se but I am in serious like. I keep finding myself listening to it whenever I get a chance – I keep challenging myself to see if I really like and if so, what do I think this mean about Axl’s role in the band’s past considering this album is his demonic baby.
Right now, my favorite songs are “Catcher in the Rye” (which along with “Street of Dreams” reminds me of “Yesterdays” – another “UYI 2” song) and “I.R.S.” Axl sings on “Catcher” that “If I thought that I was crazy, I guess I’d have more fun” and if that comment is about the torturous process of making this album, I’m happy to report that to me in the end it was worth the wait.

music

The Knux

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I read an article titled The Mining of Hip-Hop’s Golden Age a few weeks back which gave me a good list of meta-rap groups like the Cool Kids, Pacific Division, the Knux, Kidz in the Hall and Plastic Little to discover. For the past month, I’ve been checking them all out and in the process I’ve once again been amazed at how easy it is to use the Net to hear (maybe not “own” but hear) new music.
If you’ve never heard the term meta-rap, these types of groups “make music that is a commentary on what came before it. In hip-hop, which can be ruthlessly forward-looking, this is a novel development, and it has made for compelling and diverse music.”
One song that has been stuck in my head for the last month is Cappuccino by “The Knux.” I dig it and I hope you do too. Happy Friday – enjoy!

music

Could it be?

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My blood pressure spiked today. Reports are coming in that Led Zeppelin is hitting the road on a reunion tour next year and by Led Zeppelin, I mean Jimmy, Robert, John and Jason (John’s son). There is a reason why the Led Zep website’s URL for the O2 show back in Dec 07 is “/reunion” – I think Jason is legit – he’s family.
I first heard this rumor last Saturday – that John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page were in the studio rehearsing with Jason Bonham along with a mystery vocalist for a possible 09 tour. It made sense to me: Jimmy and John were tight when they played with Dave Grohl back in June but where was Robert?
On the Led Zep Reunion Tour, The Sun reports that,

They even rehearsed with stand-in singers — and one American was so impressive they were confident they could hit the road next year without Plant. That was what finally persuaded him to return. A source revealed: “The rest of the band had all but given up on Robert joining them, but they were determined to go ahead so had started to seriously explore other avenues. When Robert realized the band were serious about doing it without him, it made him think long and hard.

NME and MTV are quoting piece in the Sun but nothing official has been reported as of yet. In a New Yorker review I mentioned back in December, Sasha Friere-Jones mentioned,

“Rumors have floated that next summer Led Zeppelin is going to play at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, in Tennessee. This might seem like a good idea, but Led Zeppelin is a cover band now, covering its own material. Without John Bonham, the band can only sound like Led Zeppelin; it can’t be Led Zeppelin. The band should turn down the money and let its record stand.”

That sounded really good at the time, especially when she had been at the show and I was merely reading about it and wishing I had been there, but now I am thinking that maybe it would be a good idea for me to see them in person and see if I agree with her, you know, see what the facts on the ground are. That would probably be best for all those involved.
Via Keith

music

Foo News

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Two huge developments from Foo land. Working backwards, Foo Fighters have decided to take a holiday. It seems they want a break – and after 14 years of ass kicking music, they deserve one. I’m looking forward to them coming back better and badder than before. When Phish returned after their hiatus, they were rocking before Trey’s drugs got in the way and I have no doubt that Grohl and Co. can pick up where they left off.
Where did they leave off? By kicking ass and taking names in England, that’s where. One of their last shows was on June 8 when the Foos played Wembley Stadium and at the 55 minute mark it got very interesting as Dave said,

“Playing here at Wembley Stadium is the fuckin….its an honor…and if we take advantage of this opportunity, the greatest fucking night in our bands’ lives, to do something special, for you motherfuckers, all you 86,000 motherfuckers who came out to see us play tonight…
We knew from the beginning that this wasn’t going to be any other show. We’ve been planning this shit for fucking six months, a long time – we knew that, this country, you guys, you made us the band that we are today…
So we’d like to invite a couple very special guests: Mr. Jimmy Page and Mr. John Pual Jones from LED ZEPPELIN!”

They played “Rock n Roll” and “Ramble On” (though only “Rock n Roll” for some reason made it onto the MSN site – more on that in a bit) and while Grohl was no Plant / Bonhaim (yes Dave jumped behind the skins for R n R) and Hawkins was no Plant / Bonhaim that definitely was not the point.
The point was that in the English National Cathedral (Westminster Abby is only it by a technicality), the Foo Fighters were able to play homage to and along with two of their childhood heroes. Led Zeppelin inspired them to start playing music in the first place. Grohl and Page rocking it out – down right sick. It really happened. Ka is a wheel.
The Foos were so fired up about the show after it was over that they quickly edited together a concert movie (the show was filmed by multiple cameras) and released it in 50 theaters in the UK. If it ended there I wouldn’t have known about it. Luckily for those who do not live in the UK, MSN picked it up and has had it on their site since July 17.
Yes, so I’m two months behind time times and it took me looking up news about the Foo break up “rumor” to learn that this collaboration even took place. Then again, before I even get into my eternal “am I slipping?” debate which I seem to air anytime anything cool escapes my immediate notice, this event didn’t happen in NYC so its not like I could have gone. Therefore, I’m just glad I found about it now and not a year from now. I’m also glad I can pass it on to you.
RO is my second favorite Zep song (it comes after “Stairway” – duh) but again, for some odd reason the Foo / Zep version, it didn’t make it up on MSN, very odd especially since the song is on the concert DVD. That just means I have to buy the DVD now (though I’m not sure if it will play as the country code will be different). Is it legal to grab a bit torrent stream of the show if I own the DVD and it won’t play in my Region 1 players? Hmmm. I just love our stupid copyright laws…
Regardless, whenever I get around to waiting all 18 tracks, not just the 13 tracks that are on the MSN site, I’m sure they will be classified as “kick ass.”